Meet the Team

Throughout most of David's time at the University of Florida, he was expecting to pursue a career in academia. But the private sector came calling, and he soon found himself becoming an expert in research and competitive intelligence for brands in the healthcare and energy sectors. Today he is our Director of Research and Insights.

FUN FACT: David has never lost a thumb-wrestling match. Ever.

Vanessa spends her days keeping the BPD ship running. She is the head of operations and continually works to make BPD the best possible place to work. She always knows what's what, who's who and has the answer to whatever questions the BPD team comes up with.

FUN FACT: "I speak Dutch."

A lifelong Floridian, Alex has always had an affinity for the outdoors and the water. In high school, she was an accomplished athlete, especially in swimming and lacrosse. After completing college at Florida Atlantic University, Alex spent time at a couple of South Florida marketing agencies before finding her way to BPD where she is a senior project manager.

FUN FACT: Alex has a deep, abiding love of Tacos. She lives for Taco Tuesdays. 

Grace is an FSU grad and left Florida to pursue her advertising career. Seven years later, she returned to her native state to join the BPD family. She loves hanging out with family and friends, as well as spending time on the water, whether it be diving, fishing, paddle-boarding or just chilling on a float. In doing so, she has “accidentally” been swimming with sharks—as well as with dolphins and many other denizens of the sea.

FUN FACT: If Grace could travel anywhere in the world, it would be to Palau.

With a fashionista side, and a mystical side, Rachelle always exhibits her talented side. Having walked the fashion runway, she studied fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and art direction at the Miami Ad School in Atlanta. When Rachelle isn’t working on ads, she enjoys astrology, reading, meditation, fashion and music.

FUN FACTS: Rachelle collects crystals and has been a vegan for well over a decade.

After studying theater and advertising at the University of Miami, she honed her art direction skills at the prestigious Miami Ad School and Rhode Island School of Design. Having grown up in a home surrounded by acres of trees, today she enjoys hiking in the woods with her family. Artistic through and through, Audra loves pen-and-ink drawing, collage and dance. While many BPDerrrs are big fans of Halloween, none of us is as obsessed with the holiday as Audra.

FUN FACT: Her four-year-old son is quite likely a reincarnated stand-up comedian.

Meaghan got her first taste of agency life while completing her Masters degree and has thrived in the dynamism ever since. After starting her career as an account manager, she decided she preferred solving problems and making life easier for internal teams, so she ventured into project management. When Meaghan isn’t working, you can find her enjoying the food and culture of South Florida or cooking homemade pasta sauces.

FUN FACT: “I made an entire auditorium cry during my college graduation, when my sister surprised me on stage after being deployed for a year. We were featured on the local news, too!”

Andrea graduated from the University of South Florida with her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and has been working in the advertising world ever since. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys trying out local restaurants with her husband, yoga, salsa dancing, and taking her dog to the beach.

FUN FACT: Andrea has been learning to dance salsa for the last four years, and has performed on student teams in cities all over Florida.

Trish is one of this industry's leading storytellers. She spent more than a decade leading the advertising and creative strategy for Cancer Treatment Centers of America and another five years in Chicago with Leo Burnett on national accounts like Procter & Gamble.

FUN FACT: She was a cheerleader as a teen, taught cheerleader camps in college, and she even performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Julie has a passion for finding new, game-changing media ideas. She's spent the past decade doing exactly that in previous positions within the marketing industry. One example of her innovative thinking was featured on GoodMorningAmerica.com when she used a digital outdoor board to get her mother thousands of phone calls from friendly strangers around the world wishing her a happy birthday.

FUN FACT: Julie is married to her high-school sweetheart.

Sarah comes to BPD with a 10-year background in marketing major pharmaceutical brands. She's worked at several Omnicom agencies in New York City, where she gained expertise in every media for her many clients. Fortunately for BPD, Sarah decided to move closer to family, which brought her here to Southern Florida.

FUN FACT: Sarah once penned an article published in the New York Times.

Although Jason’s official title is CEO, his “real job” here is "Coach." He works to put together the best team possible, provide them with a vision and empower them to succeed for our clients.

FUN FACT: "I used to be the proud parent of a pot-bellied pig."

Amber graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a double major in Marketing and Business Management. After graduating, she got her start in advertising where she worked for a couple of different agencies before making her way to BPD. Amber is an avid traveler and loves being able to experience new cultures, food, and history wherever she goes. She also loves any activity involving water -- going to the beach, boating, and paddle boarding are a few of her favorites.

FUN FACT: Amber was a three-time New Jersey State Champion for varsity competitive cheerleading in high school!

A seasoned marketing executive and Rutgers University alumna, Janelle has extensive experience in event marketing and account management. Raised in South Florida, she’s a New York transplant with Caribbean heritage. Not surprisingly, she’s a major New York Giants fan with a deep love for island travel and entertaining family and friends. She’s a proud mother of her daughter, Aurora.

FUN FACT: Janelle has participated (played masquerade) in numerous Caribbean carnivals.

Anna has known she wanted to be an art director since she was in 7th grade, when she shadowed a family friend working in an ad agency. A Florida native, Anna has followed her career across the country with stops in Wyoming, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Nebraska and now back home in Florida.

FUN FACT: Anna competed in the Junior Olympics as a challenger in the 50-meter breaststroke. 

Deri comes to BPD with her Business degree from the University of Florida and a background in Operations Management and Merchandising. A few years ago, Deri enrolled in a coding course to further expand her skillset, and through this course she discovered her true passion for SEM.  Since then, she has worked on various SEM campaigns for several agencies and has never looked back since. Deri enjoys running, cooking, movies, and learning about health and nutrition. She’s also an avid traveler, and a dog mom of three furry children.

FUN FACT: Deri and her husband have known each other since they were 13 and basically grew up together!

After graduating from FSU with a degree in creative writing, Mollie started at WPTV where she produced the morning show for several years and even appeared on the news regularly for a social media segment. She's spent the past five years in the marketing world, bringing her social-media expertise to a wide diversity of clients, from automotive to travel to healthcare.

FUN FACT: Mollie once hiked the Inca Trail. While she had a full-blown case of food poisoning.

Vince's role here at BPD is to push creative as far as it can go; he and Ward work side-by-side to marry strategy with show-stopping concepts. Vince's mind never stops - he is always dreaming up the next big idea.

FUN FACT: "I’m the baby of three. My two older sisters and mom baby me more than my wife ever will."

A graduate of Florida State University, Courtney has spent more than 20 years in the advertising industry in the D.C. market before joining BPD. She started her career as a copywriter, then moved to account service after realizing her passion for cultivating relationships and setting others up for success is “where the ol’ ticker thrives best.” When she’s not providing service excellence for clients, you’ll find her cuddling with her dog, binge-watching true crime documentaries or attending a live music venue (she has been to over 500 concerts!).

FUN FACT: Courtney helped musician Jason Mraz coordinate and promote food drives along the East Coast during his 2004 tour.

A Kansas City native and a HUGE Chiefs fan, Hannah brings her radio and TV buying experience - and lifelong passion as a self-proclaimed media fanatic - to BPD. Her inside knowledge of being entrenched in the national and political media landscape makes Hannah our secret weapon for all agency client negotiations.

FUN FACT: Despite having been a lifeguard in high school, Hannah has always been terrified of swimming in the ocean (something she is determined to overcome as a resident of sunny south Florida)!

Josh has been working in media and account management for more than 15 years. In that time he’s gained great expertise across a wide range of industries and has worked with every media type. His one weakness: the cold. That’s why he left the Northeast long ago, and why South Florida is his perfect destination. And we couldn’t be happier to have him here.

FUN FACT: Josh is curator of one of the most extensive collections of interesting dress socks in North America.

Toni holds a degree in Business Management and comes to BPD from more than 7 years in administrative roles. Here, she works with Susan and Vanessa to keep the office running and makes sure everyone has everything they need to do their best possible work.

FUN FACT: "I am very good at the squirt gun game at the fair."

After graduating from FAU with a degree in business administration, Courtney joined BPD’s Account Management team. Since then, she has helped facilitate dozens of results-driven campaigns for our clients. Although agency life can be hectic at times, Courtney always remains calm, cool and collected as she juggles all of the moving pieces to help better serve our clients.

FUN FACT: Courtney has an uncanny ability to remember even the smallest details about each of our clients and team members.

A graduate of the Art Institute, Gustavo spends his days at BPD conceptualizing and collaborating  to create great work for our clients. He can create in Photoshop anything that your mind can think up and is known for his infectious positivity.

FUN FACT: "I once won a reading contest when I was 11 years old. I read and wrote reports for over 100 books in one summer."

Kaylee originally earned her stripes at BPD as a Senior Project Manager. Her work at the agency was so impressive that she was able to seamlessly switch over to our Account Management team. Since then, she has worked on various accounts, adding value to our most important branding work.

FUN FACT: Kaylee is a twin!

Christa has worked in the advertising industry for 15 years both on the agency and brand side. She has helped lead the creation of successful campaigns in industries from healthcare to entertainment, always paying attention to the details and proactively solving problems. Like her favorite athlete, Derek Jeter, she remains cool under pressure and does whatever she can to help her team win.

FUN FACT: Although she remains cool under pressure, she turns up the heat when eating, adding hot sauce or chili flakes to 98% of her meals. She’ll enthusiastically take on any spicy food challenge that you put in front of her.

Jeff Goldman is a Copywriter at Brown Parker & DeMarinis with a 20-year track record of success covering most aspects of business communications. He has worked on brands such as AOL, Exxon Chemical, Goodyear, Jiffy Lube, KFC, LexisNexis, Microsoft, Miller Lite, Northern Arizona Healthcare, the Seton Healthcare Family, Southwest Airlines, Taco Bell, the Walt Disney Company and many more.

FUN FACT: "I live with three of the world's smallest dogs."

Amanda leads our project management department here at BPD. Together with her team, she manages each and every project end-to-end and continuously works to improve our processes, product offerings and services to be more effective and efficient.

FUN FACT: "I am just as comfortable covered in mud and sweat from an obstacle race as I am in a pair of pretty high heels and a dress."

A natural negotiator from birth, Whitney is exactly who you want negotiating your media buy. Here at BPD, she conducts and analyzes research, formulates media plans, negotiates with media outlets and stewards placed media.

FUN FACT: By the age of 12, she had negotiated her name onto her parents’ mortgage. Like we said, she’s a very good negotiator.

Dara has a background in social psychology with a focus on social identity, human decision-making and diversity management. She lives by the idea that curiosity is the zest of life, and creativity is essential to all things. Outside of work, her hobbies include appreciating the culinary and visual arts, watching video game streamers and hanging out with her toy poodle.

FUN FACT: Dara has maintained an 800+ day Duolingo streak in Mandarin Chinese.

Hali's top inspirations are great cuisine and rescue dogs. She does everything she can to surround herself with both as often as she can. Her most recent rescue is Riley, who came from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit. She spends much of her free time curating her Instagram account which highlights all of the best resturants she visits.

FUN FACT: Hali is Florida's foremost expert on the Goo Goo Dolls.

George is an award-winning art director, graphic designer and professional artist with more than 20 years of experience working on major brands. His art has appeared on Topps trading cards licensed by Lucasfilm, Netflix and Nickelodeon for Star Wars, Stranger Things and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A video game fanatic, he has an actual arcade in his house, and he even appears in a video game himself (Metal Gear Solid 2).

FUN FACT: George was on a game show on Nickelodeon as a kid.

After moving from her home state of Connecticut to Florida for university, Giana found her new place in the sun and never looked back. Joining the BPD family with her deep experience in the automotive retail sector, she brings this knowledge to our account team as a coordinator. When not working, you can find Giana on her yoga mat - a practice she credits to her self-discipline and integrity - or cooking, boating, and traveling with family and friends. 

FUN FACT: Giana is a certified scuba diver!

Camilla is a true Renaissance woman. She has always sought to do work that matters, and she’s done much of that work for many of the world’s most famous names, from Toyota to 50 Cent. She’s done it all, even pausing her marketing career to teach design at a college in Pennsylvania. Today she brings her massive creative energies to a variety of BPD clients, where she does work that matters every day.

FUN FACT: Camilla speaks fluent Danish.

With a strong background in strategy and copywriting, Brielle keeps us ahead of the newest developments in social media marketing. In fact, opening her eyes to new ideas is one reason she enjoys travelling the world in her free time. Her experience with the healthcare industry began at age three when a tumble from her stroller led to emergency brain surgery.

FUN FACT: “Like Jason, I was also the parent of a potbelly pig. Two of them."

Matthew finds his passions in activities few outside of marketing ever think about. Ask him about digital marketing, especially Google Ads, and watch his eyes get wider as he prepares to tell you everything you could ever want to know. He works around the clock to ensure each of our clients’ Google ads are 100% optimized. On those occasions when he’s not at work, you'll find him searching for a new running trail or spending time with his wife and pup.

FUN FACT: Matthew is a fourth-generation trombone player.

Jason comes to BPD as a Senior Project Manager, following ten years managing client accounts and projects in the world of public relations. A huge collaborator, this team focused attitude translates into his love for fun.

The things in which Jason most enjoys involve activities with others – spending time with family and his two dogs, kicking it around on the soccer field, and reef scuba diving. 

FUN FACT: Jason plays the drums!

Nobu has achieved multi-winning work cases in Japan, Brazil, and United States. Some of the brands he has worked on include Nike, MTV, Sony Music, Warner Music, and Coca Cola. He has a passion for implementing ideas and visuals with his multidisciplinary background in design, photography, and film. In his spare time, Nobu enjoys listening to Brazilian music and going treasure hunting. 

FUN FACT: In 2004, Nobu submitted a video clip that won in the MTV Music Awards!

A Florida native, Kristen grew up in Neptune Beach, Florida, and studied Graphic Design at the Savannah College of Art & Design before making her way back to Florida, where she met her husband. When she’s not art directing for our clients, Kristen pours herself into creative passion projects. She also passionate about surfing, breweries, travel, TV shows—and not to be understated—La Croix sparkling water.

FUN FACT: Kristen was born in an ambulance!

Jenna joins our growing clan of FSU alumni after gaining extensive experience in social media from both in-house and advertising-agency work with clients in the healthcare, wellness, cosmetic and beauty industries. She’s truly inspired by collaborating, strategizing and building strong relationships with team members. In her free time, she loves traveling, hiking and horseback riding.

FUN FACT: She competed in the Kentucky State Fair Horse Show in the Pleasure Division Class and won the World Championship title!

Prior to co-founding BPD, Ward worked at The Richards Group, McCann Erickson and other top agencies for national and worldwide clients. Here at BPD, Ward partners with Vince in the development of the agency's highest concept creative projects.

FUN FACT: "My first job in advertising was Account Executive (but I wasn't very good at it)."

Nate has been a leader in motion-graphic design for more than a decade. He's an expert in video production, art direction and visual storytelling. His previous work for global brands such as Amazon, AT&T, Microsoft, Nickelodeon, Uber and EmblemHealth has prepared him for his role here at BPD.

FUN FACT: Nate married his wife specifically because she was the first person he ever met who could eat food as hot and spicy as he could. 

Inspired by art and creativity early in life, Kelsey knew the path she wanted her career to take. She earned a degree in studio art with a focus in graphic design and photography at Florida Atlantic University. After two years as a graphic designer in the marketing department at BurgerFi, she became one of our newest BPDerrrs.

FUN FACT: Kelsey's first work was published on a billboard when she was 8 years old.

Amanda is a native of New Jersey and worked in account management at two agencies in Baltimore before joining BPD. A lover of concerts and music festivals, Amanda is classically trained on the violin. Maybe that’s why she harmonizes so well with her clients and coworkers. She says, “I believe that people make the place, and that couldn’t be truer for BPD.”

FUN FACT: As if mastering the violin weren’t enough, Amanda is teaching herself to play guitar.

Alejo was born in Argentina and, from a very young age, spent many hours behind the scenes in his family's television studios. When his family moved their business to Florida, Alejo attended high school and college in Miami, where he continued to develop his interest in the production, direction, and editing of audiovisual content. He’s an accomplished musician, author, composer and founding member of Tremends, a rock band well established in the local scene. As a professional videographer, Alejo worked on projects for Shakira, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Jenifer Lopez, among many other music and movie stars.

FUN FACT: He is a big fan of motorcycles and vintage cars.

Allie's experience in hospitality, in both the agency and the client side, has shaped her ability to successfully communicate with clients and internal teams alike. She brings over 20 years of marketing experience, most recently overseeing national accounts at a retail advertising agency, focusing on travel, food & beverage, and big-box retail. Prior to that, Allie was head of brand marketing for an emerging lifestyle hotel company.

FUN FACT: Allie is constantly in the kitchen, cooking with her three-year-old twin sous chefs. She guarantees that the trio concoct meals that rival any area restaurant..

Since graduating John Carroll University sixteen years ago, this Ohio native has spent his marketing career in Cleveland, split between the agency side and the corporate side. Tim used this opportunity to make his move to a warmer, sunnier home, which makes sense, because most of his favorite hobbies happen on, in or near the water.

FUN FACT: In different incidents, Tim has broken nine of his ten fingers.

Melissa attended trade-school in high school for multimedia design, and then went to Lynn University for college. She has worked both on the client side and for agencies. A true Renaissance woman, Melissa has many creative interests, including writing music, auditioning for musicals, painting and charcoal drawing. Not surprisingly, she’s also into Renaissance festivals (and “all things nerdy”). Her current passion project is crafting handmade concrete vessels to house her coconut apricot crème wax candles.

FUN FACT: Melissa has not only a cat and dog, but also two ball pythons! 

M-K brings a unique perspective to the BPD team, providing more than 25 years of experience on both the client and the agency side. Today, as the Vice President of Strategy and Insights, she leads a team that is responsible for all aspects of market research. M-K and her team review and analyze our clients’ campaign performance and analytics, ensuring that we achieve campaign results that meet our client’s goals. 

FUN FACT: M-K is known to be a sports fanatic, and prefers to watch her favorite football team, the Minnesota Vikings, kill it on the field any day of the week. Skol!

Jessica is responsible for day-to-day management of the agency. Because of her passion and focus on agency culture and client satisfaction, Jessica has been instrumental in growing the BPDerrr roster and revamping the agency's processes resulting in higher client retention and faster project turnaround times. She has been called BPD's "Mama Bear" as her team and her clients are her “children” and she is very protective of them all.

FUN FACT: "I own purple. Purple pens, paper clips, phone case, folders, stapler, photo frames, notebooks, candy jars..."

Micha joins BPD as a Healthcare Marketing Strategist, after spending the past four years running digital marketing strategy for a local South Florida healthcare system, where he was also responsible for the oversight of their consumer experience. 

Originally from Chicago, and a self-professed lover of deep-dish pizza, he would rather be working out over sitting on his couch and has put this energy into becoming an avid triathlete. As such, he enjoys in equal measure running, biking, and swimming, and loves having his daughters join him in these activities. 

He attributes his success in long-term goal setting/planning and in achieving his goals being directly tied to his love of sports. Adding to this, from a spectator perspective and series on Netflix that “got him hooked”, Micha has become a fan of Formula One (F1) racing.

FUN FACT: On the rare chance you find Micha relaxing, it is undoubtedly over a cup of coffee – only the best – as he is very choosy about the blends he drinks.

Originally from New Jersey, Rita graduated from Florida Atlantic University and has worked in the project management field for over 10 years. As the “organizational type,” she enjoys a close collaboration with the “creative types” at BPD. Rita is a big foodie who loves cooking, hosting parties, travel, getting acupuncture, running, fashion, good wine, Sunday brunch, movies, binge-worthy TV shows and most importantly, spending time with her husband and their young daughter.

FUN FACT: Rita makes a mean charcuterie board!

Jen is a seasoned and accomplished Executive Assistant with over 25 years in the field. A graduate of Lynn University, she has worked in the education, healthcare and business fields with well-known companies. Jen interacts directly with potential and existing clients, playing a big part in our clients’ high satisfaction ratings. And she takes great care of her BPD family as well. Jen's hobbies include skiing, exercising and watching college football.

A Florida native, Sarah graduated with a degree in elementary school education during which time she was an intern at Walt Disney World. This experience shifted her focus from working with kids and turning toward media, where she brings this passion as a Media Coordinator to BPD. Her highly creative mind (she is left handed, after all) drives her passion for the arts and driving by the sea just for fun while stopping to collect seashells with her dog Daisy.

FUN FACT: Sarah has spent time adventuring to many corners of the world to locations such as the glaciers of Alaska. 

Lindsay holds a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and comes to BPD from a background in agency work. An integral part of our Account Management team, Lindsay works as the "middleman" between our clients and our team here, adding strategic insights to each project she handles.

FUN FACT: "I celebrate my birthday every year at Disney's Food and Wine Festival."